Patna:
There is good news from Sanjay Gandhi Biological
Park. A a baby hippo has been born at past Monday night
(September 10), spreading a wave of cheer among visitors
and zoo officials. Authorities at the Sanjay Gandhi
Park, popularly known as Patna Zoo, said that the baby
hippo and its mother were in a healthy condition. The
newborn has been attracting scores of visitors, especially
children and women, to the zoo. Visitors are watching
the newborn remaining close to its mother and spending
most of the time inside the pool at the zoo. "The moment
we heard about the birth of new hippo at the zoo, we
rushed to have a glimpse. Most of the time, the baby
remains in the water and seldom comes out. It's a attractive
sight to see the baby wallowing in the water," said
Bhupinder Kumar Singh, a visitor. "I felt very nice
after watching the hippopotamus. It looks very cute.
We are watching such a small hippo for the first time
in the park," said Mohammed Feroz, another visitor.
Authorities at Zoo, meanwhile, are delighted over the
birth that has increased the total number of hippos
at the zoo to five. "The birth holds importance for
us and we feel really happy with its (hippo's) birth,"
said Subhash Verma, Deputy Director of Sanjay Gandhi
Biological Park in Patna. "The mother hippo gave birth
inside the water. The baby is healthy and takes milk
regularly. Its birth has been really encouraging for
all of us," Verma said.

The
Botanical part of the park has more than 300 species
of trees, herbs and shrubs. It has a nursery of medicinal
plants, an orchid house, a fern house, a glass house,
a rose garden and a number of grass lawns. The zoo has
more than 70 species of animals. These include tiger,
lion, leopard, clouded leopard, rhino, hippo, crocodile,
Himalayan bear, lion tailed macaque, leopard cat, hog
deer, zebra, emu, white peacock and others. There are
more than 800 animals in the zoo. This park also has
an Aquarium and a Snake House. The aquarium has about
35 species of fish and is the maximum revenue earner
for the park after the gate entry fee. Snake house has
32 snakes belonging to 5 species. - September
14, 2007